The MIT Electronics Research Society shows off one of their Tesla coils to a crowd of spectators Monday afternoon at the 2012 MIT Techfair. The student-run event had over 60 companies and 30 student groups exhibiting this year.

Unlike previous iterations, the faculty newsletter (FNL) from November/December had several clear themes. It outlined a number of issues, including a faculty commentary of the MIT 2030 plan that covers concerns about faculty involvement and where academics fits into the plan, the report of the Stellar next-generation pilot on the blackboard platform, and updates on the committees for graduate admissions and undergraduate orientation. The MIT 2030 initiative was announced by MIT President Susan J. Hockfield last year as a vision of MIT for the future; in terms of how current real estate will be used and what new developments may occur. The opening editorial, written by the FNL editorial board, criticizes the MIT Investment Management Company’s (MITIMCo) role in the development of the plan. It stated that although they are positioned to evaluate the financial implications of the plans for future use of MIT real estate, they are “not in a position to balance the financial implications of long-term planning with the future academic needs of MIT.”

“You’re probably wondering why I gathered you all here outside the student center,” said Aislyn “Museum of Science” Schalck ’13, the new Chairman of The Tech. “There is a crazed serial killer on the loose, and you four are the only ones I can fully trust to help me in my investigation. I have determined that none of you could possibly be the killer.”